He beamed at her, every vestige of sadness and confusion leaving his face.
She stood and dusted off her pants, then motioned for him to follow her. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go and try to get some sleep before Rachel comes knocking on my door in two hours.” She headed toward the entrance to the stairwell.
“Kelly!”
She stopped abruptly and looked back at him over her shoulder. The urgency in his voice made her heartbeat quicken. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He motioned forlornly at the rejected pastries that she had left behind without thinking. She gave a hearty laugh. “Yes, Garren, you can bring the desserts.”
Chapter Seven
Rachel was like clockwork, knocking on Kelly’s door at exactly half past seven. Kelly had managed to sleep for about an hour, but was very irate at being awakened by her sister’s persistent need to meddle. She tramped down the hall to the living room and threw a glance at Garren in the kitchen. She stopped and did a double-take. Sitting at the table with a powdered doughnut in his mouth, he looked like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She swore on her life that every single thing in her pantry was strewn across the table around him. “Garren!” she cried. “Good lord, what are you doing?”
He looked sheepish, but said nothing.
She arched an eyebrow. “Did you decide to sample everything in my kitchen?” She rolled her eyes. “I hope being an imaginary creature pays well because you so owe me about a hundred dollars worth of groceries.” With a sigh, she turned her back on him and continued to the door.
Rachel was looking as perky as ever, which just made Kelly feel nauseated. She really wanted to know when her sister had gone from being someone decent to a fake Joe Schmoe like everyone else on the planet. She did, however, get a sick kind of satisfaction at the way Rachel’s plastic smile faded when she looked at Kelly.
“Kelly, my gosh.” Rachel sniffed. “You look awful.”
Kelly sighed. “Thanks, Rachel.”
Rachel blinked and threw a look over her shoulder into the hallway. “You should go put some clothes on. And comb your hair.”
Kelly frowned. “I do have clothes on.” She glanced down at her pajamas, then scowled back up at her sister. “Good morning to you too, by the way.”
Rachel huffed. “No, really Kelly, you need to go do something with yourself. Like, now.” She forced her way into the apartment and tried to usher Kelly back to her bedroom.
“Quit!” Kelly exclaimed with a dark glower as she skirted around her sister. “What is the matter with you?”
“So, you must be the beautiful Kelly I’ve heard so much about.”
Kelly stopped in her tracks and wheeled around to her door. A tall, bearded man was standing there, grinning like a used car salesman. His dark hair was slicked back, and he was standing with the kind of posture only ambulance chasing lawyers and scam artists had. Kelly frowned in confusion and looked at Rachel. “He with you?”
Rachel giggled in a way that made Kelly cringe. Nails on a chalkboard would have been better. “Kelly, I want you to meet Roger. Roger, this is my sister, Kelly. Forgive her appearance. She just woke up. She has to keep strange hours, you know, being a bestselling novelist and all.” She went behind Roger and nudged him into the room, shutting Kelly’s door, and officially trapping her.
Roger swaggered over to Kelly and lifted her hand to press a kiss to the back of it. “Wonderful to meet you, beautiful.” He winked.
Kelly stared, then turned her attention back to Rachel in confusion.
Rachel grinned. “Roger was so thrilled when I told him about how you wanted to go out with him.” She gave a conspiratorial wink. “He’s been dying to meet you.”
Kelly swore her stomach dropped right to her knees. Her heart beat sluggishly for a few minutes before anger started to replace her usual flow of blood “Excuse me?”
Rachel gave that horrid laugh again. “I know, I’m so happy you decided to give it a shot.”
Kelly stared at her and stabbed her finger in the direction of the kitchen. “Me and you. Talk. Now.” She turned and stormed into the kitchen, barely giving Rachel a chance to follow before she tore into her. “What in the world is the matter with you?”
“Shhh!” Rachel scolded. “He’ll hear you!” She frowned and pointed over her shoulder toward the living room. “Did you have someone sleeping here last night?”
Kelly glanced at the somewhat crumpled blanket on the couch. She thought for a moment before she glanced back at Garren, who was still sitting at the kitchen table. He looked amused.
“Oh my gosh!” Rachel shouted. “Kelly, what on earth?” She went over to the kitchen table and picked up an empty container of canned raviolis. “Did you decide to comfort eat yourself into a coma, or did you have a date last night with Sasquatch?”
Garren frowned as if he’d been offended. “I am not a sasquatch,” he huffed.
Biting back a laugh, Kelly folded her arms and looked at her sister. “That’s right, Rachel,” she said, deciding to amuse herself, if nothing else. “I had a date last night.”
Garren seemed just as surprised as Rachel did. She spun and stared at her sister. “Are you serious? You had a date?”
Kelly smirked. “Yeah,” she replied flippantly.
“With who?”
“You remember that black feather you couldn’t see yesterday?” She shrugged. “Well, it actually belongs to this invisible creature from another dimension. He’s got wings.” She leaned toward Rachel and whispered, “He’s really hot.”
Garren’s face turned a faint shade of pink, but Rachel looked far from amused. “Funny, Kelly. Nice to know that you’re having junk food fests with your imaginary story characters now.” She rolled her eyes. “Listen, I have decided that it is about time for you to go out on a real date. Not a make believe one.” She spun her finger in a circular motion around her temple, as if to indicate that Kelly was completely insane. “Roger is a nice man. Besides that, he’s successful and stable, which heaven knows is something you need in your life.”
Garren scowled and got up from the table. “She makes you sound like you’re a complete lunatic,” he said with disdain. “Just because she no longer believes in the extraordinary.”
Kelly shot Garren a glance and smirked, her heart warming at his defensiveness. “He also looks like a shark in a suit.”
Rachel spun. “Kelly, don’t say that! He’s the CEO of my company!”
Kelly rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Okay, I get it now. Basically, you promised this man a date with me, and if you don’t deliver, you’ll get demoted or something.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow and fiddled with her fingers. “Maybe.”
Frustrated, Kelly let out a growl. “Well, it sucks to be you then, doesn’t it?” She tried to push Rachel back into the living room.
“Kelly!” Her sister whirled out of her grasp. “Come on! You need to get a life! I am tired of having you holed up in here all hours of the day! I won’t stand for it anymore. It’s embarrassing and ridiculous.” She flipped her golden hair over her shoulder in much the same way she had done when they’d been children. “You’ll do what I say because I’m your older sister, and I know what’s best for you.”
Kelly rolled her eyes, anger surging to life inside of her. “Well, I know what’s best for you too.”
Rachel frowned. “And that would be?”
“It’s best if you shut your mouth and get out of my apartment before I knock your shiny veneers in, that’s what.” She turned her around and shoved her. “I mean it. Get out.”
“Kelly—”
“You’ve way overstepped your meddling rights. Guess you’ll just have to think up some creative way to get Roger to forgive you.” She patted her on the shoulder. “I have faith in you.”
Rachel gasped. She spun to face Kelly again. “Kelly Anne Ralston, you are being completely pigheaded. You should know that I know what I’m talking about! I have made a ver
y good life for myself. I’m successful. I never have a shortage of men after me.”
Kelly snorted. “Right, they’re beating down your door because all men totally want a controlling snob as a girlfriend.” She put her fingers into the a-okay sign in mockery. “Good for you.”
Rachel stared at her, looking hurt. “Kelly, I cannot believe you just said that to me. I’m only trying to look out for you. Ever since we were kids your mind has been…heaven only knows where. Certainly not on this planet. And that’s fine. It got you where you are in your career. You know, it’s nice to have dreams, but you accomplished those, and it’s about time you started bringing your head back down to Earth. Wake up and do something with yourself, unless you want to be living like Emily Dickinson for the rest of your natural life.”
Kelly glowered. “Emily Dickinson will live on forever because of her creative genius.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “That’s just great. You’ll achieve immortality, but your life will blow. Perfect.” She slashed the air with her hands. “Whatever. I give up. You want to wreck your pathetic life, go ahead. But don’t drag me down with you.”
Kelly flinched and averted her eyes to the ground. The memory of Rachel leaving her all alone when they were children flashed through her mind. The familiar pain settled into her heart. Rachel was her sister. They shared the same blood, but that was about all they had in common. Rachel had always tried to bully Kelly, and when she didn’t get her way, she turned her back on her. She was so tired of being abandoned. Tears stung her eyes.
Rachel let out a startled shriek that brought Kelly’s attention to her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Garren had stepped up and blocked Rachel’s path to the living room by slamming the kitchen door in front of her. He scowled down at Rachel, his violet eyes smoldering with anger. “How dare she speak to you that way,” he snarled. “You are kin. You are sisters. She has no right.”
The menacing purr of his voice made Kelly shiver.
“Wh-What just happened?” Rachel stammered, turning back to Kelly with frightened eyes.
Actually, Kelly really couldn’t say. Garren was invisible to Rachel. Any explanation would seem psychotic. She looked from Garren to Rachel and back again.
Rachel frowned. “What are you looking at?” She turned, faced Garren full-on, and stared straight at—and through—his broad chest.
Garren looked down at Rachel and shook his head. Some of the anger in his eyes dissipated into sadness. “What happened to you?” he whispered. He shook his head. “I remember you, as well. You had such a beautiful mind.” He reached his hand up and gently caressed his fingers across her cheek.
Rachel gasped and stumbled backwards, putting her hand over her cheek.
Kelly’s eyes widened and she looked at Garren, who seemed just as surprised.
“What was that?” Rachel asked in a breathy squeak. “Something just touched me.”
Kelly arched an eyebrow and couldn’t resist. “That’s stupid, Rachel. You must be—” She twirled her finger around her temple, mimicking Rachel’s “crazy” gesture.
Rachel shook her head. “No, I’m serious. I felt it like there was a person standing right in front of me.” Her eyes widened. “Kelly, you’re not dabbling in the occult, are you?”
Kelly rolled her eyes and grasped her sister by the arm, spinning her back toward the kitchen door. “Rachel, get out.”
“Wait!” Garren called.
Kelly stopped.
“She felt me, Kelly,” he said in mild wonder. “That means, somewhere inside her, she is still the same.”
Kelly snorted. She highly doubted that.
Rachel looked at her and frowned. “What?”
“I mean it,” Garren said, coming up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Kelly, she’s in there. Somewhere, she still believes.”
Garren’s touch eased her and her anger abated. She sighed. What if he was right? What if, locked under her harsh exterior, Rachel was still the same imaginative, caring person she had been before she’d hit the teenage years? What if she was still the girl who had been Kelly’s friend and not just her sister? She closed her eyes and knew what she had to do, but hated it. “Okay, fine.”
Rachel scrunched her face. “Fine what? What are you talking about?”
Kelly stood back and folded her arms again. “I’ll go on this lame date, but you have to do something for me in return.”
Rachel looked skeptical. “What?”
Kelly smirked. “Tomorrow night after work you have to come over and play a game with me.”
She arched an eyebrow. “A game?”
Kelly nodded. “Like when we were kids. You have to do exactly what I say. Got it?”
Rachel snorted. “Yeah right, Kelly. I am not going to spend my evening over here playing hearts and fairies.” She waved her hand in dismissal and turned.
Kelly shrugged. “Fine. Then you get to explain to Roger why he shouldn’t demote you.” Her smile was evil and she knew it. “Groveling would definitely be a new pastime for you.”
Rachel stopped in her tracks, and her shoulders drooped in defeat. She cast a glance at Kelly over her shoulder. “All right, all right, fine.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll play your stupid game, but I really don’t see what the point is.”
Kelly grinned in triumph. “Humiliation, Rachel. Your humiliation. That will be my satisfaction.”
Rachel gave her a sinister scowl, then pivoted on her heel and disappeared back into the living room. Kelly poked her head out and waved. “Nice to meet you, Roger,” she said with a large, fake grin. “Pick me up at seven, okay?”
He beamed at her. “I look forward to it, gorgeous.”
Her stomach roiled in protest. Rachel and Roger disappeared out the front door, and she heaved a sigh. She turned back into the kitchen and met Garren’s eyes. “This sucks.”
He smiled and went to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Not all is lost, little one. She felt my touch. She may still be savable.”
She sighed again, went into Garren’s embrace, and rested her head against his chest. “I hope so, Garren. I really do.”
Chapter Eight
Kelly was seriously contemplating suicide. Actually, she even imagined that having someone shove red-hot pokers into her eyeballs would be better than the date she was having to endure. She sighed and braced her head in her hand as she listened to Roger continue to ramble about how fabulous he was. She’d lost real interest somewhere around his description of his Porsche’s interior, and now his voice only resembled the “whaa-whaa-whaa” of the adults in the Peanuts cartoons.
She glanced at Garren, who appeared just as pained as she felt. He had insisted on coming along. Even though she had told him she would be fine and was only going to appease her sister to get her to uphold her end of the deal, he had informed her that he was her guardian and was going to go with her whether she liked it or not. Kelly wondered if she had “pushover” written on her forehead. It was the only reason she could come up with for people thinking they could boss her around.
Oh well, she didn’t mind Garren coming along. At least he was something interesting to look at, and it made her feel good to know that he cared.
“My panini is enormous!”
Kelly’s right eye twitched and it took her a moment to get it under control as her attention snapped back to Roger. “I beg your pardon?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.
He looked up at her and pointed at the grilled sandwich he’d just been delivered. “My panini. It’s the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen.” He grinned and gave her an arrogant expression. “You see, I only dine at the best restaurants. You definitely get what you pay for.”
She sighed and looked down at her plate of pasta. Roger had taken her to an Italian restaurant/bistro. It was upscale and very nice, but she would have enjoyed it a lot more if her companion hadn’t been making her stomach turn for the past half hour.
She dipped her fork into her pasta a
nd tried to just focus on how good it looked while Roger launched into another speech about his favorite subject—himself.
Garren sighed also and put his head in his hand. There was a bowl of olives sitting on the table, different kinds—green, black and burgundy. Garren noticed them, discreetly pulled a few out, and lined them up along the edge of the table. Kelly frowned, but tried not to pay him too much attention.
“So there I was, talking to Marlon Brando and—ow!”
Kelly’s eyes widened as Garren launched one of the olives at Roger’s head by flicking it.
Roger scowled. “What the—ow!”
Another one of Garren’s projectiles hit him directly in the earlobe. Roger looked around in annoyance, and Garren seemed entirely too pleased with himself. He lobbed one more at him.
“Ow!” Roger cried. “Ow! My eye!” He covered his eye, and Kelly put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggle. Garren gave a satisfied smirk and sat back in his chair.
“Who was that?” Roger growled, scanning the room. “Who had the audacity to—” His eyes fell on a little boy of maybe ten sitting at the table diagonally across from them. He appeared well behaved, sitting up straight in his seat and eating with his utensils, not his hands. Roger glowered. “You wanna put a leash on your kid, lady?”
Kelly’s eyes bulged, and the woman at the table stared over at Roger in bewilderment.
“Chuck E. Cheese is not in SoHo!”
Kelly wanted to invert. She put her head down and shielded her eyes with her hand in embarrassment.
Beyond Wild Imaginings Page 7